The Cincinnati Bengals are a conservative franchise led by owner Mike Brown now flirting with the idea of re-upping head coach Marvin Lewis for a 16th season.

In large part, perhaps, because former coaches aren’t available to come back and take Lewis’ place.

The tale of the supposed end between Lewis and the Bengals is an interesting one. It started a few weeks back when Lewis vehemently denied a report he’s leaving the Bengals after the season. Fast forward to now and both parties didn’t come to a decision Monday while the rest of the league made moves — and both sides seemed to admit a reunion was something they wanted.

What changed?

For one, Brown’s familiar options dried up — fast. Let’s take a look:

Hue Jackson: He’s 1-31 as the lead man in Cleveland, but he’s been basically assured he’ll be back.

Jay Gruden: Despite it looking like Washington could force some major changes, he’s safe.

Vance Joseph: A darkhorse to return despite an odd split, Denver changed its mind and will keep Joseph.

Mike Zimmer: Keep dreaming.

You don’t need insider info or something special to know Brown doesn’t like change and would prefer to keep or bring back someone familiar — we wouldn’t be talking about a guy with no playoff wins over 15 years returning if Brown was willing to change it up. Heck, incessant retreads on the field and hardly any new faces in free agency speak to the same preference.

Meaning, the above four names keeping jobs leaves Brown in a bind if he really wanted to move on from Lewis. He could promote from within with Paul Guenther or Darrin Simmons, but laterally bringing over a guy with head-coaching experience is likely a priority. And the Jackson returning rumors have been relentless and a well-sourced one said Gruden was the top target, if possible.

Granted, this could be a great thing — Lewis sticking could mean Brown caves to his demands. We don’t know what those are or if that is what’s causing the delay between the two sides, but if Lewis sees the above and wrestles more control over player personnel decisions or something else from ownership, it could be a win for the Bengals on the field.

Off the field, of course, Lewis returning is a ridiculously hard sell. The fact Brown and the front office are adverse to new blood coming in and shaking things up has been — and might continue to be — a point of frustration with fans.

Unless something changes with the above four names, Lewis certainly seems to have some strong leverage if Brown isn’t willing to change his ways.